When Is The Best Day and Time of Year to Move House?

Friday is the UK's most popular day to move house whilst Sunday is the cheapest day to move house. Summer is the UK's favourite month to move, with the majority of house moves happening in August, according to new Compare My Move data.

We've looked at data from over 95,000 house removals over the past year to reveal that around 34% of Compare My Move UK users preferred to move on a Friday, with Sunday being the least popular day for moving at just over 2%. The UK prefer to move house in August and during Summer months.

Compare My Move explore the UK's favourite moving days along with the cheapest and most expensive days to move house based on users looking for removal companies in London, Bristol, Manchester and all other cities within the UK.

UK Moving Day Data at a Glance

What is the Cheapest Day to Move House?

Sunday is the cheapest day to move house in the UK, with an average move costing £717.13.

Compare My Move looked at the average quotes received by a sample of its users. We discovered that although Sunday was the cheapest day to move, Tuesday was the most expensive day for moving house.
Sunday has proven to be the least favourite day for house moves, with only 2.69% of movers choosing the day. This could explain the cheaper rate, with companies trying to entice movers.
If you're looking for a midweek move, the second cheapest option is Wednesday at £770.03, almost 20% cheaper than the weekly overall average cost.
Tuesday is the second most unpopular day for moving house. But the average cost for a Tuesday move is £1,110.36, 44% more expensive than a Saturday move and 55% more than a Sunday move.

Is it Cheaper to Move on A Weekday?

According to our data, no. Sunday is the cheapest day to move house, followed by Wednesday and then Saturday. Tuesday is the most expensive day to move house. If you're choosing your moving date primarily for financial reasons, then Sunday is the best day to move house for you. Book your removal company in advance and compare a few removal companies to ensure you're getting the best possible deal for your removal costs.

If you're looking to save money and organise a cheap removal, choose one of the cheaper days such as a Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday, if you can afford the time off work.

What is the Most Popular Day to Move House in the UK?

Friday is the most popular day of the week to move house.

Of the 95,000 UK movers that used Compare My Move last year, almost 34% arranged to move to a new house on a Friday. Moving house on a Friday is by far the most popular day, followed by Saturday as a distant second, with 17% of users opting to move on that day. Even then, many of these movers will likely complete on Friday and move on Saturday.

Many people prefer to move house on a Friday or Saturday because the weekend gives movers plenty of time to unpack and get adjusted. Moving house can be stressful with surveying and estate agent fees to think about, which is why having enough time to do it properly is key. If you're choosing your moving date based on your working schedule, then for many, Friday will be the best day to move house.

The least popular day to move is Sunday, with only 2.69% of people opting to move at this time. Sunday is out of hours for conveyancing solicitors and estate agents, banks and a whole range of other services, meaning Sunday is the day you should not move house.

Why Friday is the Best Day to Move House

The main reason such a huge amount of people move house on a Friday is that it’s the gateway to the weekend. Booking Friday off work to move means a healthy three days to get settled and unpacked in your new home.

Moving house on a Friday will mean less disruption to the housing chain if you’re buying a house. Having the completion day on a Friday morning, followed by a long weekend to move in makes for an ideal moving house process.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when moving on a Friday:

Book your house removals well in advance, as Friday is a popular day for house movers and demand is high. This will keep house removal costs down too.
Make sure you complete in the morning, as the bank deadline for transferring money is usually 3 pm.
If anything goes wrong with the chain and you miss the 3 pm transfer deadline, you’ll have to wait until the next working day.
Arrange for your solicitor to perform all pre-completion work ahead of Friday so that things go smoothly. This includes the signing of mortgage deeds and the ordering of mortgage monies. Any issues with funds clearing will mean delays.
Factor in a heightened likelihood of delays from the likes of estate agents.
If anything goes wrong with utilities or if you need to contact your solicitor, it’s likely you’ll have to wait until Monday.
Remember to use a moving house checklist to keep organised.

The Best Day to Move House in Your Region

We've looked at over 95,000 house moves arranged through Compare My Move throughout the last year to discover Britain's favourite day to move house in every region. We've discovered that Friday reigns supreme across every region in Britain except Northern Ireland and Central London, making it the best and most popular day to move house.

Wednesday is the favourite day for people in Northern Ireland to move house and Central Londoners prefer to move house on a Saturday. Our data revealed that both Wednesday and Saturday are among the cheapest days to move house, with a Wednesday move costing you £770.03 and a Saturday move averaging at just £774.47.

If you move house on a Wednesday or a Saturday, you will be paying less than the UK's favourite moving day, Friday.

The Best Time of Year to Move House

Summer is the best time of year to move house in the UK, with August being the most popular month.

We've crunched the numbers and we can reveal that, although the favourite season to move across Britain is Summer, the region by region favourites differ. Autumn is the favoured season for movers in the West Midlands and the North East. Movers in Northern Ireland and Scotland, however, opted to move house in Spring.

Area	Favourite Month to Move House
Scotland	May
North East	October
North West	January
Yorkshire and the Humber	October
East Midlands	July
East of England	August
Wales	July
London	August
South East	August
South West	August

Across the nation, the overall favourite month to move is August. This is also the favourite month for movers in Greater and Central London, the East of England, and the South East.

July is the favourite month for movers in Wales and East Midlands, whilst October is favoured by movers in the West Midlands and the North East. Interestingly, Compare My Move users moving in the Yorkshire and the Humber region buck the trend completely, with a majority moving in January, the same goes for the North West. Northern Ireland movers prefer a move in April.

Moving House in Spring

The second most popular season to move as things start to freshen up and get lighter, moves in Spring are boosted by the season being traditionally favoured for selling a house. The good lighting, mild temperature and somewhat predictable weather conditions make Spring a good choice. Plus, Spring has a range of bank holidays to take advantage of a long weekend to unpack.

Moving House in Summer

Summer is the favourite season to move, and for good reason. Families can take advantage of the huge Summer holidays to get children settled, long bright days and predictable weather. It’s likely that many buyers that looked during spring will be completing the buying process in Summer too. As the most popular season to move, things will get busy however. Remember to book your removals well in advance if you have a particular date in mind.

Moving House in Autumn

The joint second most popular season to move house, mainly on account of September being a hugely popular month. As Summer fades, you’ll still get dependable weather and longer days in September than at the latter end of Autumn. As Summer is the peak time for removal companies, it’s likely that moving in Autumn you’ll get a more enticing rate.

Moving House in Winter

The UK’s least favourite season for moving, on account of bleak weather and short, dark days. The cold weather may also make the move harder, as weather conditions are more extreme and icy roads can be dangerous. December and November are the least favourite months to move house in the UK. Keep in mind that you will have to be extremely organised, and work around Christmas parties and New Years’ celebrations. Moving house over Christmas can be done, if you are organised and book your removal company in advance.

Why you should Avoid Moving On A Friday

Choosing a midweek move or a Sunday move may see you saving more money. Although your removal company shouldn’t charge you more for a Friday move, due to less of a demand there may be a midweek discount on the cost of moving house to take advantage of.

With only 10% of our users opting for a Wednesday move, for example, removal companies may lower their rates to entice movers. In fact, our data shows that Wednesday is the cheapest midweek day to move, costing £770.03, over 20% cheaper than moving house on a Friday.

Generally, you should choose a weekday if you want to avoid a busy move with the assurance that if something goes wrong, the problem can be resolved quickly during working hours. You'll avoid a weekend rate for tradesmen if something goes wrong in your new home, and a quick response from utility companies so you won't be left in the dark.

Moving house on a Saturday may be an option if you want to avoid having time off work. But keep in mind you'll need to arrange everything with your solicitor ahead during the working week if you're buying. You should compare conveyancing solicitors so you get the best deal too.

Can You Move On a Saturday?

Yes, moving house on a Saturday is possible. However, if anything was to go wrong with your conveyancer or the bank, these issues won't be fixed until the following Monday or later due to bank and solicitor closures over the weekend.

If you want to move house on Saturday, you should ensure everything is sorted with your conveyancer during the week to avoid any delays on the day of the move.

Do Moving Companies Work on Sundays?

Yes, removal companies work on Sunday, although it is the least favourite day for UK movers to move house. Sunday remains the cheapest day to move house in the UK in 2019.

Does Time of Year Affect Removal Rates?

Off-peak times, such as the spring or after the summer holidays, can usually result in cheaper removal costs too.

According to Compare My Move data, Tuesday, Thursday and Monday are the most expensive days to move house in 2019. Sunday remains the cheapest day, followed closely by Wednesday and Saturday. Friday stands as the most popular day and costs on average £937.19.

Ultimately, the best time to move depends on your personal circumstances. But Spring/Summer is ideal in terms of prospective buyers, good weather, removal company rates and working around holidays. For a full breakdown of the price of moving, check out our moving house calculator.

When is the Best Time to Sell Your House?

The best time to sell your house is spring. The good weather means your garden will be in full bloom, making the house look more appealing to potential buyers. Plus, prospective buyers are also more willing to house hunt in good weather.

Keep in mind that the timing of your move will also be affected by your estate agent and solicitor. Maintain communication with them to ensure they are up to date on what needs to be done and they are ready for the exchange of contracts.

Generally, though, there are more buyers in spring, making it the best time to start the selling process.

“The key market for the property industry is spring, from March heading into summer. This is the best market to take advantage of as most people look to move before summer so you have both available properties and active buyers."

Autumn also proves to be a popular time to sell a house, as buyers are back from their summer holidays and will want to move in before Christmas. Whenever you decide to sell your house, ensure plenty of time.

You’ll want to list your home as early as possible because there can be as much as 3 to 6 months between starting the selling process and actually moving from your home. So listing your property during winter is a great idea if you’re looking for a spring sale.

“Enquiries for properties and web visits to property portals always reach an annual high around the Christmas period – people are off work, reflecting on a year passed and a year ahead – and so that interest becomes a reality into January and February."

Source; Comparemymove.com